Corrosion behavior of copper T2 and brass H62 in simulated Nansha marine atmosphere

Abstract The accelerated corrosion behavior of copper T2 and brass H62 exposed in simulated Nansha marine atmosphere for different periods were investigated by weight loss method, SEM, XRD and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The results indicate that copper T2 and brass H62 underwent severe corrosion, and the final corrosion rates at 32 days of exposure were 0.24 μm/d and 0.10 μm/d, respectively. Moreover, the overall corrosion type of copper T2 was uniform and the corrosion products Cu 2 O and Cu 2 Cl(OH) 3 played a vital role in the corrosion rate of copper. While the dezincification corrosion with zinc preferential dissolution was obvious in brass H62. The predominant phases were the zinc-rich compounds Zn 5 (OH) 8 Cl 2 ·H 2 O, Zn 12 (SO 4 ) 3 Cl 3 (OH) 15 ·5H 2 O and NaZn 4 (SO 4 )Cl(OH) 6 ·6H 2 O. There existed a large number of copper-rich holes with 20–50 μm depth beneath the corrosion product layer.